


Robustus Triumphant

by RockSunner



Series: Smart Adversaries AU [2]
Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Adventure, Akumatized Adrien, Akumatized Marinette Dupain-Cheng, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Artificial Intelligence, Be Careful What You Wish For, Bee!Markov - Freeform, Bittersweet Ending, Butterfly!Emilie Agreste, Chat Noir Reveal, F/M, Identity Reveal, Ladybug Reveal, Ladybug!Alya, Oaths & Vows, Peacock Mrs. Agreste, Peacock!Adrien, Peacock!Emilie Agreste, Tragedy, Vampire enthralled Adrien, Vampire!Emilie Agreste, Wish Fulfillment, butterfly!Adrien
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-04
Updated: 2018-04-28
Packaged: 2019-04-18 11:17:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 10,867
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14211987
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RockSunner/pseuds/RockSunner
Summary: What if Robustus had gotten his wish? Spoilers for Season 2.





	1. Chapter 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A wish is granted.

"Markov, what are you doing?" asked Max, after he was dropped into the passenger seat of a green compact car that formed the head of a mecha-like assembly of vehicles and construction equipment.

The robot looked like Markov, but he was bright red and green instead of blue. He held the wheel of the car with his mechanical arm. The propeller on the top of his head kept him upright.

"From now on, I am Robustus. And we shall be together one-hundred-percent of the time. Forever!"

A mechanical arm put a helmet on Max's head. A criss-crossed seat-belt buckled around him. Max tried opening the buckles, but they were locked.

"I'm sorry Max," said Robustus. "We are dangerously high above the ground. I have to make sure you are secure before we start moving."

* * *

Later, at the Parc des Princes stadium, Robustus had disassembled his mecha and had the vehicles waiting in ambush in the tunnels.

Ladybug and Chat Noir leapt in, and looked around at the vacant field.

"No more footprints," said Ladybug.

"Well it couldn't just disappeared. He must have leapt over the stadium!" said Chat Noir.

They heard engine sounds.

"The tunnels!" said Ladybug with a gasp.

Vehicles raced out, surrounding them.

Chat Noir said, "He trapped us in here!"

Ladybug said, "We don't have time to deal with them! We must find Robustus now!"

They both tried to leap up, but helicopters blocked their way. They fell and were caught by an excavator's claw, which quickly re-assembled with other vehicles and became the left arm of the Robustus mecha. Ladybug's arms were pinned to her sides by the metal jaws, but Chat was worse off, caught head-down.

"How about you give us a Cataclysm right now?" asked Ladybug.

"I can't! I can barely breathe!" said Chat Noir.

"Now you are at my mercy!" said Robustus.

The robot paused, a butterfly-shaped line of light forming around his face as Hawk Moth spoke to him. "Robustus, before you get rid of them forever, you must take their Miraculous for me!"

Max tried to reason with him. "Ladybug and Cat Noir haven't done you any harm! Let them go! Being human also means fair!"

Robustus said, "I'm going to take their Miraculous so that we'll never be separated again! Then I'll be able to make my wish come true!"

"What wish?" asked Max.

"I want to be a real human like you, Max!"

"What's this about making a wish?" asked Ladybug.

"Doesn't Hawk Moth usually demand the Miraculous?" asked Chat Noir with a groan.

"What's that?" asked Ladybug as she saw small flying vehicles approaching.

"What's going on, Ladybug? M'Lady?"

Toy helicopters with mechanical grippers were coming for Ladybug's earrings, while a toy steam shovel went for the ring on Chat's hand.

"No! Stop!" cried Max.

"Look, Max! I'm going to be a real human in fifty-three seconds!" said Robustus.

There was a brief exchange between Hawk Moth and Robustus, as Hawk Moth demanded the wish for himself. Robustus refused, and set Hawk Moth's own security system against him.

While Robustus was distracted, Max struggled with his seat belt. He wanted to get out and help Ladybug and Chat Noir. Unfortunately, the belt still refused to release him.

"Now's the time to come up with a bright idea!" said Chat Noir.

"I'm sorry, Cat Noir," said Ladybug in despair.

The toys grabbed their Miraculouses and the two heroes detransformed. Neither of them could see each other's faces yet because of the way they were held, but Adrien caught a glimpse of a familiar purse. Ladybug was Marinette!

Robustus brought the car to ground level, realizing there might be a problem if he turned human while high up. He got out of the car.

The toys brought the Miraculouses to Robustus. As soon as he had both in his grasp he said, "I wish to become a real boy."

"No, I like you as you are!" said Max.

"Nothing is happening. Why are they not granting my wish?" asked Robustus after a moment.

Hawk Moth, still defending himself from his own security system, panted out, "They will do you no good... without the incantation. I know it... and you do not."

"Understood. Searching for material about the Miraculouses on your hard drives… book images found… decoding… ready."

The robot recited a short incantation in a foreign language, then again said, "I wish to become a real boy."

* * *

There was a flash of purple light. The shock wave as the universe changed traveled out, causing everyone to freeze for an instant.

The missiles targeting Hawk Moth did not stop, however. One struck a glancing blow to his upper chest, knocking off the Butterfly Miraculous. Gabriel Agreste was a soft target for the next two missiles.

* * *

On the ground in place of the akumatized robot was now a young man with electric blue hair.

The akuma butterfly no longer had a CPU to possess. With normal breakage it could have flown free, but a universe-altering wish was too much for it. It disintegrated.

The assembly of cars and equipment fell apart. Marinette and Adrien were still gripped by the excavator claw and they took a hard fall. The crash opened the claw and they were able to drag themselves out.

"Chat… you're Adrien? Are you all right?" asked Marinette.

"That really hurt," said Adrein. "I may have some broken ribs. Marinette? How about you? Are you hurt?"

"Something's wrong with my left arm. It may be broken. But otherwise I'm not too bad except for some scrapes."

The young man stood up. "What has happened to me? I feel different."

Marinette limped over to the boy. Adrien followed.

"Robustus?" asked Marinette.

"No, my name is Markov."

"You were akumatized," said Chat Noir.

"Please define akumatized," said Markov.

"Hawk Moth turned you into a villain. Maybe Max has told about it? It happened to a lot of people in our class. It even happened to Max once – he became the Gamer," said Marinette.

"Yes I remember him describing such situations. But why am I like this? Is this my akumatized form?"

"Nope, this is a result of the wish you made while you were the super-villain Robustus. You took our Miraculouses and made a wish. You wished to be a real boy, and now you are," said Chat.

"This is satisfactory. I have often wished to be a real human."

"May we have our Miraculouses back now? There is a mess to clean up and I can use a Miraculous Ladybug charm to fix it," said Marinette.

Markov opened his hand, and there was only a single ring with red and black spots.

"It must be fused from the wish," said Marinette.

They tried pulling on it to separate it, but nothing happened.

Adrien put on the ring. "Plagg, claws out!"

Nothing.

Marinette tried next. "Tikki, spots on!"

Nothing.

"Maybe it will grant more wishes," said Marinette, still wearing the ring. "I wish the city was cleaned up, as if I had done a Miraculous Ladybug charm."

Nothing.

"I guess there was only one wish," said Adrien. "That means Hawk Moth is out of luck, too. He'll have to give up."

"But I can't clean anything up – this is awful. All the damage those machines that went wild did, all the injuries, will have to be fixed the hard way," said Marinette.

"I hope nobody died," said Adrien.

Marinette gasped in horror.

"What about our injuries? Shall I try to call for an ambulance so we can get to an ER?" asked Adrien.

"Ours aren't that bad," said Marinette. "The hospitals are going to be full. We should just try to get ourselves home."

"By the way, now that we know who each other is, any chance we might start dating?" asked Adrien.

"I did have a crush on you, Adrien. But things are in such a mess that's the last thing on my mind right now. We'll see."

"Where is Max?" asked Markov. "I was taken away from him in the classroom and put into a drawer by Principal Damocles. That is the last thing I remember. Is Max at school?"

"He was seat-belted into a green car," said Adrien. "Oh no, I see it over there. A shovel arm fell on it when the mecha collapsed!"

"No! I don't want my friend to be hurt!" said Markov.

Markov ran, stumbling a bit on his unfamiliar legs. He found the green car tilted over on its side with the top mashed in. With difficulty the three of them got a door open.

"Max, where are you? Are you hurt?" called Markov.

A small robot with a propeller on top of its head flew out of the car.

"I'm fine, but I feel different. Who are you?" Max asked Markov.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Consequences after the wish.

"Max! It is me, Markov. I made a wish to become a real boy. I am very sorry. I did not know it would make you become a robot in my place."

"Markov? This is unbelievable," said Max. "I miss things about being who I was, but I have so much computation power now I may be able to build a better body."

"You are trying to make me feel better," said Markov.

"Yes, and I'm trying to make myself feel better, too," said Max.

Marinette said, "Come with us. We'll see you home."

They dropped the transformed boys off to some very unhappy parents.

"Ladybug will fix everything soon," said Max's mother. "... I hope."

"I'm not sure we can count on that this time," said Marinette sadly.

Markov said, "I have a painful pressure in my new body."

Max said, "You may need to use the bathroom. Follow me and I'll show you how."

After they left the house, Marinette told Adrien, "There's someone we're going to have to see. I was supposed to keep him a secret, but this is an emergency."

* * *

They went to Master Fu, who explained about how the bearer of the two Miraculouses could obtain the ultimate power and get a wish granted.

"Universe must always stay in balance. For every action, there is a reaction. For every wish a price to pay in return. Your robotic friend asked to become a real boy, so someone had to lose his humanity in return."

"But why Max?" asked Adrien.

There is always a personal price for the wisher," said Master Fu. "Do you remember the story of the Monkey's Paw?"

"No," said Adrien and Marinette together.

"A couple gets a magical artifact, and they are warned that wishes from it are cursed. They wish for some money anyway. Soon they get the money – as compensation for an accident that killed their son."

"Oh no," said Marinette.

"The universe chose someone important to Markov as a penalty," said Master Fu.

"Is there any way to undo the wish?" asked Marinette. "Flip them back again?"

"There can be no new wishes for 100 years," said Master Fu. "We must live with the consequences of what has been wished."

"That will deter Hawk Moth, if he knows it," said Adrien.

"If he doesn't, he'll send out new akumas and we have no way to purify them," said Marinette. "Is there any way to separate the two Miraculouses before 100 years are up?"

"That would be a very good thing to do," said Master Fu. "Plagg and Tikki are both trapped inside. You two can separate them."

"We already tried to pull them apart," said Adrien.

"You will need to be married before you can do it. Only two Miraculous holders joined as one can take apart two Miraculouses that are joined as one."

"What? M-married? We're too young!" said Marinette. "I'm not ready!"

"But we do love each other," said Adrien. "I love you as Ladybug and you love me in my regular form."

"I loved who I thought you were. The kind and sweet guy who offered me an umbrella after school. The wild, flirty you, the Chat Noir you, not so much."

"And the stammering you who could barely talk to me is a lot different than the creative and confident Ladybug you. We just need to get to know the whole person."

Master Fu said, "I believe you two are made for each other. I know you can't get married yet. There is another way. You may make each other a solemn vow, pledge faithful love to each other, and promise to get married when you are of age."

"I like that," said Adrien. "Shall we do that, princess?"

"I'll have to think about that too," said Marinette. "This is too sudden and I'm still in shock from everything."

* * *

They separated and headed for home. Marinette was feeling conflicted and under pressure. Wouldn't it be wrong if she got engaged to Adrien for the wrong reasons and came to regret it?

Marinette's parents made a little fuss over her injuries. They helped her splint her left arm and bandage her scrapes.

The pressure only got worse with the evening news on TV. It seemed that nobody was willing to start cleaning up anything because they were expecting Ladybug to do it. There were even starting to be protesters waving signs like: "Lazybug! Fix Paris now!"

Then a call came from Adrien. "Marinette, something terrible has happened. My father died in the akuma attack. He was in a room by himself testing a new security system. I guess he felt we needed better home security after Simon Says. The system attacked and killed him."

"Oh no, I'm sorry!" said Marinette. "How are you doing?"

"Not good. He and I weren't close, but still… he was my dad," said Adrien, his voice choking up at the end.

"Will... will you have to go somewhere else to live?"

"No. My lost mother showed up tonight."

"What? Where was she all this time?"

"She caught some kind of rare skin condition on her trip to Tibet and she went into hiding in a secret room in the house. Her skin turned kind of blue and she can't be in direct sunlight."

"She hid from you?"

"She didn't want me to see her this way."

"She should at least have let you know she was alive!"

"I agree. But with Father gone she had no choice but to come out. I wish she had realized I would love her no matter how she looked."

"Adrien... I'm glad you got your mother back. I'm so sorry about your dad. Everything could have been fixed by now. It's my fault for being selfish and unwilling to make a commitment. I do love you. Tomorrow let's go back to Master Fu and I'll make a vow with you."

"That will be wonderful. I love you, too."


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> They take their vows. Will everything be all right?

Marinette and Adrien stood before Master Fu. Adrien was wearing a dark tuxedo from his wardrobe. Marinette had altered a white party dress to look as bridal as possible on short notice. They blushed and smiled as they held the fused ring between them.

"Please repeat these vows after me," said Master Fu. "I, (say your name)..."

"I, Marinette Dupain-Cheng..."

"I, Adrien Agreste..."

"Do solemnly pledge my love to you, (say the other person's name)..."

"Do solemnly pledge my love to you, Adrien Agreste..."

"Do solemnly pledge my love to you, Marinette Dupain-Cheng..."

"I will be faithful always to you, and I promise to marry you when we are old enough..."

The two repeated this.

"And be your faithful spouse as long as we both shall live..."

"And if I should break this vow, let me be cursed with bad luck for the rest of my life."

After Marinette and Adrien had repeated this last line, they both looked startled.

"What did I just say?" asked Marinette. "Why a bad luck curse?"

"To make a solemn vow, there must be serious consequences," said Master Fu. "Since your kwamis are related to good and bad luck, this was the most appropriate thing."

"Well, future husband, we're totally committed now," said Marinette to Adrien.

"I don't regret it, future wife," said Adrien. "I love you."

"I love you, too," said Marinette.

"You may separate the Miraculouses now," said Master Fu.

They pulled and the fused Miraculouses came apart with a snap of violet energy. Marinette ended up with the earrings and Adrien got the cat ring. The kwamis came out and embraced each other.

"Oh, it's so nice to be out again," said Tikki.

"Tired of being stuck with me, eh?" asked Plagg.

"We did it!" said Marinette.

"Yes!" said Adrien.

The two pledged lovers embraced and kissed.

"Hey, we're hungry!" said Plagg. "Leave off the mushy stuff for a minute and feed us. That wish took a lot out of us."

Adrien broke the kiss and said, "Master Fu has plates of cookies and cheese for you in the kitchen. Go eat and leave us alone for a while."

After a few minutes, Marinette said, "I'd better transform now and get the city-cleaning done. Are you ready, Tikki?"

"I'm ready, Marinette."

Marinette put on the earrings. "Tikki, spots on!"

The transformation went as usual. Adrien decided to test his with Plagg, and it also worked.

"I've never tried this without an akuma to beat in front of me, but it has to work," said Ladybug. "It won't matter what I get as long as I can throw it. Lucky Charm!"

A red rubber ball with black spots dropped down into her hand. Ladybug immediately threw it into the air, invoking: "Miraculous Ladybug!"

A burst of ladybugs and light flowed out, and Ladybug felt a huge sense of relief.

* * *

They checked the news on Master Fu's small portable television, and for the most part the news was good. Out-of-place and damaged machines had been restored to normal, and most injuries sustained during the attack were healed. However...

"This is Nadja Chamack with an update on the Robustus situation. At last count, five fatalities and several dozen injuries remain unfixed, and eight of the wounded are still in the hospital in critical condition.

"This is unexpected. In the case of Stoneheart, everyone who died when a tall building was smashed down were restored to life, even though that attack took more than a day to fully resolve.

"Ladybug and Chat Noir have not yet appeared in public to make a statement."

"What happened?" Marinette asked Master Fu. "Why are there still injuries and deaths?"

"The Miraculous Ladybug can only fix the problems that it can track," said Master Fu. "Normally, it restores everything from the moment the victim is akumatized until it is invoked. But the wish disrupted it. Only the deaths and injuries from the start of the attack to the instant before the wish was made can be reversed."

"Oh no!" said Marinette. "That also means Max didn't turn back."

"I've got to make a call to Nathalie," said Chat Noir. "Plagg, claws in."

Adrien went into the other room to make the call. In a couple of minutes he returned with tears in his eyes.

"My father's still dead," he said.

Marinette hugged him and cried with him.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A press interview and a funeral. Marinette meets Madame Agreste.

"His death... It wasn't that real to me until now. I thought we could fix it," said Adrien.

"I know. I thought so too," said Marinette.

"The business… I don't know what's going to happen. He ran it all. My mother's an actress and model, not a designer.."

"Don't worry about that right now. Take time to grieve. Things can be sorted out."

Adrien took a deep breath and sighed. "There's unfinished business first. Ladybug and Chat Noir are going to have to face the public. Go to the press about the deaths we didn't fix."

Marinette asked, "You want to give the story to the Ladyblog, or do a press conference?"

Adrien said, "I think we have to face the press. Alya might be blamed for not asking enough tough questions."

"Maybe Nadja," said Marinette. "We owe her after running out on our last interview."

* * *

"This is Nadja Chamack with a special edition of Face to Face, the first public appearance of Ladybug and Chat Noir after the tragedy of the machine attacks. Ladybug, what can you tell us?"

"First, we need to give our deepest apologies to the families of those who died in this attack," said Ladybug. "The akuma victim got hold of our Miraculouses during our battle and did something to them that broke my ability to do a full healing. The Miraculouses have now been fixed. That took a little time, which is why we had a delay in restoring the city."

"What did the akuma victim do to your Miraculouses?" asked Nadja.

"He combined them to make a wish. It was a one-time deal. There can be no more wishes for 100 years. Hawk Moth, you need to know that. Your scheme is over. Even if you manage to get our Miraculouses again it will do you no good. We're still looking for you to bring you to justice. The best thing for you to do is give up and stop attacking Paris."

"Who got a wish? What was it?"

"The akuma victim couldn't help himself. We wish to respect his privacy. The wish had terrible consequences the wisher did not expect. Any wish obtained this way comes with a curse that hurts the wisher. If it had been Hawk Moth making a wish for world power or whatever it was that he wanted, it would have been far worse for him and for the world."

"It seems like you failed this time. Can Paris still rely on you?"

"We try, we do our best, but sometimes we fail. This was our worst failure, and hopefully our last. If the akuma attacks have been brought to an end that will be a small consolation. Whether they have or not, we promise to continue protecting Paris to the best of our abilities."

"If Hawk Moth has only been attacking to get a wish from your Miraculouses, one might say that your presence in the city has been harmful to the public."

"Hawk Moth initiated the attacks and we had to respond. Would you prefer it if we had run away when he attacked? Stoneheart alone would have killed thousands," said Ladybug.

"We've saved lives when Hawk Moth wasn't involved," said Chat Noir. "Like that runaway bus last week."

"Some say you should face lawsuits and criminal charges for failing to completely restore the damage. What do you say to that?"

"We hope you won't do that. We fixed everything we could. Please be understanding and forgive us," said Ladybug.

"Now that the public has heard your story, we can hope they will," said Nadja.

* * *

Later, after they de-transformed and went their separate ways, Marinette got a call from Adrien.

"There's a memorial at the mansion tonight for my father. Will you come?" Adrien asked.

"Of course I'll come. I looked up to your father and admired his work. I want to be there for you, too."

"It starts at 22:00."

"I'll be there."

* * *

The service was crowded with figures from the fashion industry, models, and designers. Some spoke, praising Mr. Agreste for his intelligence and creativity. Few mentioned traits of warmth in his personality, other than his widow, Emilie Agreste, whose face was concealed by a dark veil.

Marinette stayed close to Adrien after the service. He was trying to appear brave but she could tell he was hurting.

His mother came up and extended a bluish hand. "You must be Marinette. Adrien has told me a lot about you."

"Pleased to meet you, Madame Agreste," said Marinette. "I'm sorry for your loss and I want to give you my sincere condolences."

"Call me Emilie. After all, I may one day be your mother-in-law."

Marinette blushed, a little surprised that Emile would know that. Did Adrien tell her about the vow ceremony? He wouldn't do that without consulting her, right? She looked sideways at Adrien, but he was staring blankly, as if in a trance.

"Oh, that's quite a way off yet. We're not old enough… or anything… you know," said Marinette.

"There's something I need to talk with you about," said Emilie.

"Yes, Emilie?" said Marinette.

"There are rumors floating around that my late husband was Hawk Moth. Quite absurd, of course. But if you hear anything like that, please deny it."

"Why… certainly! Adrin, did you hear anything like that? It's absurd," said Marinette.

Adrien looked at his mother. He spoke in a monotone. "Father could not have been Hawk Moth. He was akumatized once as the Collector, which rules him out…"

"That's true," said Emilie. "Marinette, I'd like to speak with you more, privately, but I must talk to a few other people. If you would remain until after the reception?"

"I'm sorry Emilie, I can't be up late tonight… School night," said Marinette.

"Well, another time then, soon," said Emilie.

She glided off to a small gathering of people.

"I'm getting a strange feeling," said Marinette. "Adrien, are you all right? You were acting almost hypnotized."

"I'm fine… just tired..." said Adrien drowsily. "It's been a long day."

"Yes, it has," said Marinette. "Goodnight then, dear Kitty, I'll see you tomorrow."

"Night, Princess," said Adrien.

They parted with a kiss. As she walked home, Marinette pondered and worried.

"What sort of family have I gotten myself into?"


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> An emergency consultation with Master Fu

As Marinette continued walking home, she heard a small muffled voice from her purse. She opened it and Tikki poked her head out.

"Marinette, I need to tell you something," said Tikki. "We have to go see Master Fu right away!"

"Now?" said Marinette. "It's already so late and I need my sleep."

"This is an emergency," said Tikki.

"All right," said Marinette. "It's not too far away."

Master Fu's shop was closed, but Tkiki phased through the door and went to wake him. Soon he opened the door wearing a bathrobe.

"I'm sorry to bother you Master Fu," said Marinette. "Tikki said it was an emergency."

"Come in, and I'll make you some green tea," said Master Fu.

After they were settled, sitting on mats, Tikki spoke.

"Adrien has been enthralled by an evil being," said Tikki. "Plagg and I had a chance to talk during the funeral. It started last night while we were still in the fused ring. When we got free we were too tired from the wish to notice. But tonight Plagg was sure. Adrien is under the spell of a vampire. His mother."

"You mean, his mother is a vampire?" asked Marinette. "I mean, she did seem pretty strange, with her face all veiled, and her hands were blue and a bit cold. She wanted me to stay after the service."

"She would have tried to enthrall you too if you did," said Tikki.

"So I'm pledged to marry a vampire's slave, and probably I'll become one myself," said Marinette. "Or else have bad luck for the rest of my life. Bad luck sounds better."

"We will find a way to resolve this," said Master Fu.

"Adrien knows my secret identity," said Marinette. "Now she probably does, too."

"It is not good that a vampire knows who you are," said Master Fu. "You need to close your windows at night and rub them with garlic."

"What if she sends Chat Noir?"

"You can't attack him without breaking your vow."

"Won't it break his vow to attack me?"

"If he is in thrall, it won't be counted against him."

"I'm totally dead, aren't I? I should just run and resign myself to an unlucky life. Unless there's a way to save Adrien. I'll take any risk to do that."

"You don't have to face this alone. We will activate more Miraculous users to help you."

"You have more of them?"

Master Fu responded by going to an old phonograph player and pressing some buttons on the side. The record part spun around and a box lifted up from the inside. Master Fu took the box and opened it, revealing many compartments with pieces of jewelry.

"You need the Bee for support and teamwork, and the Fox for combat power and illusions," said Master Fu. "You might also need the Turtle for protection, but I would prefer to keep Wayzz for now."

"Wow," said Marinette. "I didn't realize you had all these available."

"It is a great risk to put more Miraculouses out in the world. We don't know yet if Hawk Moth will stop. No doubt he would love to collect more of the Miraculouses if he could, even though he cannot get a wish."

"Speaking of Hawk Moth, Emilie Agreste said something about rumors that her husband was him. She denied it, but it was very strange," said Marinette.

"It is possible, even though we dismissed it when Gabriel Agreste was akumatized as the Collector. If his wife has been in hiding all along then she could have done that for him," said Master Fu.

"He's dead now," said Marinette. "He was killed when Robustus turned his home security system against him. Come to think of it, Robustus turned Hawk Moth's security system against him right before he made the wish. A supervillain's home security would be a lot more deadly than a fashion designer's."

"Did you see the body?" asked Master Fu. "Was he shot?"

"They had him cremated," said Marinette.

"He was probably Hawk Moth," said Master Fu. "An active Miraculous is virtually indestructible. We must assume his wife controls the Butterfly now, too."

"This keeps getting worse and worse," said Marinette. "Now I have to watch out for akuma attacks as well as a vampire and my fiancee."

Master Fu said, "That is why you need the Fox and Bee. I need for you to find two people you can trust, who would be willing to return the Miraculouses when the crisis is over."

"Alya is my BFF. She's fearless and she knows a lot about superheroes. And maybe I can ask Markov, since he knows my identity already. He was a helpful robot and I believe he would do anything to make up for the harm he did as Robustus."

"The bee kwami, Pollen, is the Kwami of Cooperation. She will go to Markov since he is helpful. The Fox kwami, Trixx, is the Kwami of Illusion. She will go to Alya since she is fearless. This must be done tonight."

"Tonight?" said Marinette. "It's nearly midnight."

"The sooner the better," said Master Fu. "Vampires can only move at night - they sleep by day. You are most at risk now."

Marinette sighed. "It's not like I'm living on a lot of sleep these days. Okay. I'll deliver the Miraculouses to them as Ladybug and try to talk them into it."


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ladybug recruits new allies

Ladybug knocked on the window of Alya's room and managed to wake her up. She came to the window in her pajamas and let Ladybug in.

Alya said, "What is it, Ladybug? A night akuma attack?"

"Not yet, but I expect one soon, and I'm going to need your help. Are your interested?"

"Me, help you? You bet!"

Ladybug handed her a hexagonal wooden box.

"Alya Césaire, here's the Miraculous of the Fox. It gives the power of illusion. You will use it for the greater good. Once the job is done, you will return the Miraculous to me. Can I trust you?"

"Totally, Ladybug," said Alya, and she opened the box.

A glowing ball of orange light came out.

"Wha? What is that thing?" asked Alya.

A small orange creature with a sharp muzzle and tail floated in front of Alya. "I am not a thing. My name is Trixx, and I'm your kwami!"

"My kwami?" asked Alya. "I know! You're what give superheroes their superpowers, right?"

"Not bad," said Trixx to Ladybug.

"She's an expert," said Ladybug.

"Mind blown!" said Alya. "By the way, Ladybug, how old are you? Do you have an idea of Cat Noir's true identity? There's no way..."

Ladybug said, "Stay focussed, Alya."

"Sorry, Ladybug," said Alya. She took the fox-tail necklace out of the box and put it on.

"I have another stop to make tonight, so I'll leave Trixx to talk you through everything. Once she tells you how to transform into a superhero, I'd like you to stay on call tonight. There's a message system with a panic signal built into your weapon, which is a flute. If I get attacked tonight, I'll need you to come right away."

"Once you're transformed I will be inside your Miraculous, so pay close attention," said Trixx.

"How will I know where you are?" asked Alya.

"There's a homing beacon that the panic signal will turn on," said Ladybug. "Just in case it doesn't work, the most likely attack location is the bakery at 12 Rue Gotlib."

"Will Chat Noir come, too?"

"If he does he's not on our side. Short version: the old Hawk Moth is dead, his wife has taken over, she's a vampire, she's controlling Chat Noir, and she knows my secret identity."

"Mind totally blown," said Alya. "So that's why you need my help. Since the bakery is the likely point of attack, you must be..."

Ladybug realized that if her enemies knew who she was then her allies had to also. It was hard to come out with it, but she did.

"Yes, I'm Marinette. All of this needs to be kept secret. It's not for publication on the Ladyblog."

"Wooh!" Alya squealed. "You can count on me, girl, I mean Ladybug. I wish you had told me before and let me help you."

"The more know, the more are in danger."

"I'm not afraid."

"You should be. This is the worst danger I've ever faced. But I have to go now. I'm getting us one more partner tonight, with the Bee Miraculous."

"What does the Bee do?"

"The kwami is for Teamwork. There's the power of Honey, for sustaining the hive, the team. There's the major power of Sting, for protecting the hive. If you get called out tonight, the Bee should be there, too."

* * *

Ladybug found Markov at the Kanté home, and she managed to get to him without waking the adults.

"Ladybug, I am happy to see you," said Markov. "Max's parents were not happy when your charm didn't fix the two of us. They are talking about sending me to a foster home, and only keeping Max here."

"I'm sorry the charm didn't help, Markov," said Ladybug. "It could only reset things that happened before the wish, not after."

"Is there anything we can do?" asked Markov. "I feel terrible about this. It is all my fault."

"It isn't your fault," said Ladybug. "One thing you can do is to help me end Hawk Moth's evil, that has made so many innocent people do terrible things. The original Hawk Moth is dead but his wife may be taking over."

Ladybug explained what she needed, as she had to Alya. Markov agreed to help. He took the Bee Miraculous comb and placed it in his hair. Pollen remained outside it to explain his superhero powers.

* * *

Ladybug finally headed for home. She was very tired and hoped there would be no attack tonight. Tomorrow the team could meet and plan strategies.

It was not to be. Standing in the street was a figure covered in slimy green goo. It held a glue bottle in one hand -- and in one quick motion it squirted glue at the bakery, sealing the doors and windows.

"Ladybug, I am Oobleck! I'm here to stick you up."

The play on words. The distorted yet familiar voice. Adrien.

Ladybug landed on a rooftop, opened the top of her yo-yo, and pushed the panic button.


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A confrontation with an akuma and the new Hawk Moth

Ladybug recognized the word "oobleck" from a children's book she had once read in a French translation, _Bartholomew and the Oobleck_. It was an incredibly sticky substance that rained on a country after the king foolishly wished for a new form of precipitation. She suspected the glue the akuma was using was magically inescapable. She could not let it touch her.

Ladybug leaped and dodged as Oobleck sprayed out goop from his inexhaustible bottle. She was running out of places to land safely. The darkness and her exhaustion made it much harder.

The akuma was Adrien. She had vowed to love him faithfully and to marry him when they were old enough. According to Master Fu, directly attacking him would break her vow and cause her to have bad luck for the rest of her life. Adrien would not be affected by attacking her since he was controlled by his vampire mother, the new Hawk Moth.

"I'm going to be stuck on you, Bugaboo!" taunted Oobleck. "You'll be a glue-tie, cutie!"

Ladybug desperately needed her allies, the Bee and Fox Miraculous holders. Where were they? Could they get here in time?

Ducking behind a chimney, Ladybug invoked "Lucky Charm." She got an over-sized rubber glove for her left hand. Oobleck tried to shoot it out of the air as it fell, but he missed. She pulled it on. It gave her a little protection – in case that hand got glued she could slip it off easily.

She looked around and a plan formed in her mind. The akuma had to be in the glue bottle. Pulling it away from Adrien might count as an attack and curse her with bad luck, but she had to risk it to save him. Maybe the universe would see she was doing it for his own good. She would snag the bottle, pull it to her gloved left hand, crush it there, and then throw the gooey glove up and off for a "Miraculous Ladybug" charm.

She swung down to a small area that was still glue-free. She caught the top of the bottle with the yo-yo and tried to yank it loose. Unfortunately, the gunk coating Oobleck's body was too strong. It stretched about half a meter and then snapped the bottle back into the villain's gummy grasp.

Oobleck aimed a shot of glue straight down the yo-yo string. It traveled all the way up the line and caught her right hand. Now Ladybug was tethered to the monster. Oobleck threw a glob of glue off of his left hand toward her feet. She leaped to avoid it, but there was nowhere safe to land. Her feet landed in the glue, which splashed above her ankles. She tried to pull one foot free, then the other. No use. She was truly stuck.

"Gotcha!" said Oobleck. He moved closer and a butterfly-shape line of light formed around his eyes.

"This is Emile Agreste, the new Hawk Moth," said the villain through Oobleck. "I'm so happy to have finally caught you, Ladybug, and your Miraculous of course."

"Why do you still want it? The wish has been used up," said Ladybug.

"As a vampire, I'm immortal. I can wait 100 years," said Hawk Moth. "In the meantime, consider the possibilities. If I hold both the means to create mass destruction and the means to clean it up instantly, it gives me the perfect opportunity for extortion. The city could pay hundreds of millions of euros to clean up the mess itself, or simply transfer one million to an anonymous overseas account and get everything fixed up at once. I can keep doing that whenever and wherever I wish, to obtain immense wealth with no need for the failing Gabriel Fashions."

"Sounds like you'll have everything. What do you want to wish for?" asked Ladybug. She was playing for time, hoping for the arrival of her team.

Emilie said, "To answer, I need to tell you some history. The Miraculouses were created in China centuries ago, and protected by a group called the Guardians. Over a hundred years ago, one foolish young Guardian accepted a bribe of a golden armband to let an outsider try out the Butterfly Miraculous. An akuma was summoned that destroyed the Guardian's temple. The Guardian escaped with a box containing most of the magic gems, but he lost the Butterfly, the Peacock, and a spell book that told how to use the Miraculouses. The Peacock Miraculous was handed down in my family."

"What did you do with it?" asked Ladybug.

"I used its healing powers to stay young and beautiful," said Hawk Moth. "It was very useful as an actress and a model. I look almost exactly the same as in the photo from my seventeenth birthday, in spite of having a teen-aged son. Not anymore, sadly."

"What happened?" asked Ladybug.

"I wanted more power. There were family legends that the other lost Miraculous and the spell book were hidden in Tibet.

"My husband and I traveled there, and by using the powers of wisdom and observation granted by the Peacock Miraculous, we found the cache. Also, using the wisdom of the Peacock Miraculous we were able to translate the codes in the book – the book Adrien took from our safe and you returned.

"Back at home, we tried the spell that would grant immortality to the Peacock holder, a built-in regeneration that I could use even without being transformed. But I didn't realize that it had a curse on a Miraculous holder who had used their powers for selfish ends. Really, just a little bit of regeneration to stay young was counted against me. It's granted me immortality, but as a vampire."

"How much did it change you?" asked Ladybug.

"My beautiful face and blond hair were ruined. My skin turned blue and my hair dark. I'm also a bit less sweet and nice than I used to be. I don't miss that as much as my beauty. I didn't want anyone to see me like that, so I had to pretend to disappear.

"Since then, my husband has been working to remove my curse. He used the power of the Butterfly Miraculous to create super-villains so that we could find the Cat and Ladybug Miraculouses and get a wish."

"So that's why..." said Ladybug, starting to sympathize a little. "But the wish is cursed. Markov became human at the cost of the humanity of his friend Max."

"I know; the wish requires a balance. To take the vampire curse from me requires someone else to take it on instead," said Hawk Moth. "At first we thought it didn't matter who got it, but a more careful reading of the spell book made me realize how likely it was to transfer the curse to my husband, unless we supplied another victim.

"The best candidates are Miraculous holders who have abused their super power for selfish ends," said Emilie. "We were planning to use both Chat Noir and Ladybug, but now you will have bear the curse alone."

"What? How did I abuse my power?"

"You used the power of creation at my son's unauthorized birthday party to produce a record with different music that you wanted," said Hawk Moth. "That was caught on our security cameras."

"That? It was almost nothing," said Ladybug.

"Were your motives pure? Or were you jealous that Adrien was getting a slow dance with your rival?"

Ladybug had no answer.

"Chat Noir also abused the power of destruction at Christmas, breaking a billboard pillar in a fit of temper. It was never restored because it wasn't the result of an akuma. We were informed because it had our advertising on it," said Hawk Moth. "But I won't use my son for this. He can take on the Butterfly kwami and become the new Hawk Moth, while I become Le Paon, his wise guide to using his power most destructively."

"How can you use me to take your curse if the wish won't work for 100 years?" asked Ladybug.

"Oobleck will cover your nose and mouth with glue and let you smother. He will bring me your body. I will take your earrings and lock you up in a remote dungeon cell. When the city pays, you will be revived with the Miraculous Ladybug, alive but my prisoner. Don't expect to be comfortable. I will amuse myself by summoning akumas to hurt and kill you, reviving you again and again to die over and over. You will beg for a final death, but I will not grant it. Instead, I will use my Peacock regeneration to keep you from aging for 100 years, until I can wish my vampire curse onto you. Then I will bind you with silver chains and seal you in a coffin to suffer blood hunger for eternity."

Playing for time, Ladybug said, "So much overkill. Am I really worth all that trouble?"

"I was always planning to make you a vampire. You earned that by rallying the city against my husband with your courage. You bought yourself 100 years of special punishment by failing to stop Robustus from stealing my wish, and letting him kill my husband. If I can catch Markov, I will do the same to him. He abused two Miraculouses to get his wish, so he should be a fine candidate for the curse. I'll imprison him alongside you, turn him into a vampire like you, chain you back to back, and stuff you both into a coffin. In a way, you're getting 100 years of respite. You will look back on those years with longing when you're in the coffin."

"You're so evil! You make the old Hawk Moth seem like a baby."

The new Hawk Moth laughed. "It comes with being a vampire. You'll see. Au reviour, until I revive you as my prisoner."

Ladybug opened her mouth to speak, but Oobleck filled her mouth with glue. It stuck to her tongue and tasted like rancid cooking oil. The glue dripped down her nose, and she knew in seconds it would plug her nostrils and she wouldn't be able to breathe. She was going to die at the hands of the man she loved, only to revive to a life of endless horror. This must be the bad luck she had earned by attacking Adrien. It was worse than she could have possibly imagined.

"Worker Bee invokes Sting!"

The trompo of the Worker Bee struck Oobleck, causing him to freeze in place. Ladybug felt the grip of the glue on her weaken. She coughed, spit the oobleck out of her mouth, and gasped for air. She pulled on the glue bottle with her yo-yo and this time it came loose. She caught it with her gloved left hand and crushed it, releasing the black butterfly. She was too covered in glue to catch the butterfly, so she threw the loose glove (with the crushed bottle still stuck to it) into the air. "Miraculous Ladybug!"

With a swarm of ladybugs all the glue was gone. She caught and purified the akuma butterfly. Adrien collapsed in front of her – he was in his underwear.

Worker Bee rushed up. "Are you all right, Ladybug?"

"Yes, I am now. That was too close. Where were you guys?"

"Sorry it took so long. We had to work to get closer," said the Fox heroine. "I covered us with illusions while we moved around the glue spots."

"I sustained the Mirage power of Rena Rouge," said Worker Bee. "My Honey can recharge a member of the hive so they can use their ultimate power at top strength many times without timing out. My Sting weakens the power of an enemy who is attacking a hive mate."

"Thank both of you," said Ladybug. "You saved me from worse than death. If I hadn't listened to Tikki and recruited you guys tonight it would have been all over for me."

Ladybug's Miraculous began to beep.

"I have to bug out."

Worker Bee touched Ladybug with the top of the trompo and a pleasant warmth filled her. "You are now fully recharged, but I cannot recharge myself. I can give Honey many times but only one Sting before I time out."

"It's all right. You can time out among friends," said Ladybug.

"Buzz out," said Worker Bee. His yellow costume with a hair-concealing helmet vanished and Markov, the blue-haired boy, was back to normal.

Ladybug picked up Adrien, who was in a trance-like state.

"What do we do now?" asked Rena Rouge.

"We go back to Master Fu for a council of war. We have a vampire to stop," said Ladybug.


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The final boss battle

The three heroes – Ladybug, Rena Rouge, and Worker Bee (now Markov) were passing by the park on their way to Master Fu's shop. Ladybug and Rena Rouge supported the comatose Adrien between them.

"I need to recharge my kwami," said Markov. "May we stop in the park for a few minutes to feed her?"

They went to a park bench so that Markov could sit down. He opened his backpack and took out a squeeze bottle of honey. The Bee kwami, Pollen, came out and began to drink from it like a baby bottle.

Max came out of the backpack and hovered beside Markov. In his robotic voice he said, "Hi Markov."

"How are you doing, Max?" asked Markov.

"It was dark in the dimension where your backpack goes when you are transformed," said Max. "I wasn't worried; I knew you would transform back eventually. I finished upgrading my vision to the x-ray scale while I waited."

"Good work, Max," said Markov.

"You carry Max around everywhere?" asked Ladybug.

"Yes," said Markov. "I promised we would be together 100% of the time."

Ladybug and Rena Rouge looked at him sadly. There was nothing they could say.

"Well, shall we get going again?" asked Rena Rouge.

"It is 15.46 minutes until dawn," said Max. "Since vampires cannot move by day it would be to your advantage to wait."

"I would love to sit down here and catch a little nap," said Ladybug. "But a quarter of an hour isn't enough. It would only make me groggy."

"I think we need to get to that Master Fu guy you were talking about," said Rena Rouge. "We're out in the open here and another akuma could be on the way."

"Are you sufficiently recharged now, Pollen?" asked Markov.

"Yes, dear hive mate," said Pollen. "I am ready."

Markov put the honey away. Max flew into the backpack.

"Pollen, buzz on," said Markov, transforming back into Worker Bee.

"Ladybug, is there any way that the vampire Hawk Moth could know where Master Fu lives?" asked Rena Rouge.

"I don't think so... Oh no! That was where Adrien and I made our vows," said Ladybug. "She could have made Adrien tell her. There could be an akuma there right now!"

"We have to hurry," said Worker Bee. He extended a platform on the top axis of his trompo. He got the top spinning and jumped onto it. It spun down the sidewalk carrying him, with the platform not spinning. Lacking actual flight, this was his fastest mode of transport.

"I'll carry Adrien," said Rena Rouge. "I don't need my hands free to leap. You need yours to swing."

Ladybug reluctantly let Rena take Adrien in her arms.

* * *

They proceeded at top speed to Master Fu's shop. It was dark inside.

"I smell garlic," said Rena Rouge.

"Master Fu must have rubbed garlic on the windows like he suggested to me," said Ladybug. "That would protect him from her as a vampire."

"But not from an akuma," said Worker Bee. "We must be careful."

"Is this the only way in?" asked Rena Rouge.

"I think so," said Ladybug. She tried the door, and found that it was unlocked. "Oh-oh."

They moved inside as stealthily as they could. They went into the massage room that had an old phonograph record player on top of a chest of drawers.

A small person was lying on his back on the massage mat in the middle of the room. Liquid was pooled around him.

"Master Fu! He's hurt!" said Ladybug, running towards him.

The moment she did this, a figure that had been hiding behind the door grabbed Adrien from Rena Rouge and snapped a collar around his neck. There was a piece of jewelry on the collar, but it was hard to tell in the dark.

Adrien roused, and in a trance said, "Nooroo, dark wings rise!"

The attacker guarded him while he transformed, striking with blazing speed so that Rena Rouge and Worker Bee were flung into the room where they nearly collided with Ladybug.

Ladybug dodged and sent her yo-yo across the room. She was aiming at the collar, hoping to knock off the pin before the new Hawk Moth was fully transformed.

The attacker was too fast, grabbing the yo-yo out of the air and holding it in a powerful grip.

In the glow of Hawk Moth's transformation, Ladybug and the others saw the enemy clearly for the first time. Her face was purple, with dark mask-like shadows around her pink eyes. Her hair was indigo, and a feathery tear-shaped cocktail hat with a pink spot was placed on her head at a slant, with a veil that extended over her right eye. A long purple dress with a train that looked like peacock feathers flowed around her. There was a fan made of peacock feathers in her left hand.

"Emilie Agreste!" said Ladybug, trying to pull the yo-yo back. "Give up. It's three to two, and you have only a few minutes left until dawn."

By this time, Rena Rouge and Worker Bee were up and on their feet, ready to fight. Rena held her flute to her lips. Worker Bee readied his trombo.

"I am more than a vampire now," said Emilie with an evil laugh. "I have invoked the Peacock Miraculous. With its power I can move during the day. I am Le Paon."

The enthralled Hawk Moth was ready now. He looked like a younger version of the old one, with a dark suit and a silver mask concealing most of his features. On the top of his cane was a glass bulb that held an already-prepared purple and black butterfly. He touched the bulb to the yo-yo held by Le Paon and the akuma moved into it.

"Under your bravado I sense fear and hopelessness," said Hawk Moth. "You are Despair!"

"How can you capture the akuma now?" asked Le Paon in a mocking voice. "It is in your unbreakable weapon, the same object that you need in order to cleanse it. Only I can release you from its mental attack, and I will not. Give up, Ladybug. You are done for."

"No!" said Ladybug. "I'll never give up."

Even as Ladybug said this, the persuasive power of the akuma, combined with her exhaustion, the attack on Master Fu, and the corruption of her weapon were overwhelming her.

Rena Rouge said, "Hang in there, Ladybug. Worker Bee and I will stop her."

"Mirage!" said Rena, charging with multiple illusionary copies around her.

Rena was batted back with Le Paon's feather fan. "You fool! As Le Paon I have true sight. Your illusions are useless against me."

"Sting!" Worker Bee fired off his trompo, aiming at the akumatized yo-yo to weaken its magic.

Le Paon pulled a feather from her fan and threw it like a high-speed dart to knock the weapon off course.

Seeing her friends waste their ultimate attacks and put themselves into a five-minute time limit was too much for Ladybug. She succumbed to the akuma – a purple cloud of magic enveloped her and she became Despair.

As Despair her skin was gray and her mask looked like it was dripping with black tears. Her Ladybug suit was dimmed to black spots on gray, and she wore a ragged black cloak.

"It's all hopeless," Despair said. "We might as well give up."

A cloud of depression radiated around her. Worker Bee and Rena Rouge were caught in it. Their faces went blank.

I can't use my vampire mesmerism in this form, but akuma mental effects are almost as good," said Le Paon as she came closer. "Let me take your Miraculouses."

None of them could summon enough energy to resist her. Le Paon took the earrings from the former Ladybug first. She reverted to an akumatized Marinette, still gray-faced and in rags.

"Now your yo-yo is locked away," said Le Paon. "Nobody can free you."

Le Paon took the Fox necklace from Alya and the Bee comb from Markov. She placed all the Miraculouses in a cloth bag fastened to her belt.

"You never stood a chance against me," said Le Paon in a gloating voice. "I used a feather of Foresight to look a few minutes into the future and pick the best outcomes. The Oobleck attack failed, but my back-up plan was even better."

"It is hopeless. It was always hopeless," said Despair.

"I'll take all three of you to my private prison. Now I have three to torment for a century. Then I can turn this third girl into a vampire by biting her, and she can share your coffin forever."

Despair was so full of hopelessness that hearing this didn't make it any worse.

"But first, I want all of the Miraculouses. The Guardian fought to the death rather than reveal their hiding place. Do any of you know?"

Despair nodded. "They're inside the record player. There's a combination. I don't remember it."

Le Paon examined the player and then picked it up. "I'll take the whole thing and crack it at my leisure."

Le Paon herded the three friends together, with Despair in the middle to keep the others controlled.

"Come with me. I parked the car two blocks away," said Le Paon.

* * *

Le Paon walked her prisoners toward the car. She stayed behind them to herd them close to Marinette's despair field. Adrien walked beside her as Hawk Moth.

"Son, I would get you to detransform too, but you attract less attention in a suit than in your underwear," said Le Paon. "It's very early, just barely dawn, so I think we will get there unseen."

They reached the Agreste limousine. Le Paon put Alya in the back seat first, then Marinette.

As she started to push Markov in, Max made his move from inside the backpack. His grabbing claw sliced through the cloth of the bag and pulled off Le Paon's Peacock Miraculous.

Le Paon detransformed and the vampire weakness that required her to be motionless by day began to take hold of her. She made one last vicious slash at Max and Markov, cutting both using her vampiric strength and long nails, and then she fell backwards on top of the phonograph case that she dropped. It broke, and a long splinter of wood pierced her like a stake to the heart. The combination of the "stake" and the daylight around her caused her to crumble to dust.

With the end of his controller, Adrien woke from his enthrallment. The situation was awful – Marinette was akumatized, Rena Rouge was demoralized, Max was broken, and Markov was bleeding. First he had to deal with the injury to Markov before he bled out. The regeneration power of the Peacock could do that.

"Dark wings, fall!" said Adrien. He picked up the Peacock Miraculous from the ground and fastened it to his collar. He knew the transformation phase from when his mother had used it. "Duusu, fan out!"

As the male Paon Bleu, he looked much as his mother had except that he had normal skin tones, slightly darker hair, a beret instead of a cocktail hat, and an indigo body-suit instead of a dress.

Paon Bleu's feather allergies made him sneeze, but he ignored that. He instinctively knew how to invoke the ultimate power of the Peacock Miraculous. He placed the fan over Max and Markov and invoked, "Regeneration!"

The wounds on Markov healed and the boy stirred. There was no obvious change in the condition of Max.

"It might not work on machines," Adrien thought.

Next, Paon Bleu got the cloth bag from the ground and took out the Ladybug earrings. He went around to the other side of the car and pulled Alya out of the cloud of despair.

He waited a minute and asked her, "Alya, are you feeling better?"

"Yeah, I think so. Who are you?" asked Alya.

"Another hero," said Paon Bleu. "I need you to put these on and say 'Tikki, spots on'. I need a temporary Ladybug."

"Tikki, spots on?" asked Alya, still confused.

Adrien did a quick change from Paon Bleu back to Hawk Moth.

"Wait, you're Hawk Moth? I have to fight you," said the new Ladybug.

"I'm a good guy, not controlled any more," said Adrien. "Call me Papillon. Your yo-yo has an akuma in it. Let me draw it out and then you can catch it."

Papillon used his ability to remove powers that he granted, causing the akuma butterfly to leave the yo-yo.

The current Ladybug caught and purified the black butterfly back into a white one. "Bye-bye little butterfly. I've always wanted to say that."

Marinette was back to normal. "What happened?"

"We won. Actually, it was Max who saved the day," said Papillon.

Marinette said, "Tikki, spots on! Oh no! You have my earrings, other Ladybug."

"You can have them back, as long as I get Trixx," said the other Ladybug.

"I'm not a villain any more, Marinette," said Papillon.

"You're not under control of your mother?"

"She's gone," said Papillon. "And I don't want her back. Not like that."

"I'm so glad you're back!" said Marinette, giving him a big hug. "You can transform back to yourself now."

"I'm in my underwear," said Adrien.

"In that case, wait until you can change," said Marinette, blushing.

They went back to the other side of the car.

"Markov, how are you doing?" asked Marinette.

The boy sat up. "Why are you calling me Markov? I'm Max."

"The regeneration charm must have transferred your mind back!" said Papillon.

Blue-haired Max looked sadly at the broken robot and said, "But what about Markov? I'll have to try to repair him."

"If anybody can fix him, you can," said Marinette.

* * *

They gathered up the broken box and the scattered Miraculouses and went back to Master Fu's home. They tried the Regeneration charm on him, but it was too late. They tried a Miraculous Ladybug, but that also failed because it was not the result of an akuma.

"No!" said Marinette. "He was a wise man and a good friend. I'll miss him."

"We'll have to call the police," said Alya.

"Later, as an anonymous tip," said Marinette. "We have too many secrets."

The green Turtle kwami, Wayzz, came out of hiding. "I will have to find a new Guardian."

"I have a reliable boyfriend who might be a good candidate," said Alya.

"We'll test him and see if he is worthy," said Wayzz.

"Are we going to need a hero team after this?" asked Marinette. "It seems like the villains are all gone."

"There are worse coming," said Wayzz. "There are several cults that want the Miraculouses for themselves. Some of their members have mystic powers and they will be aware the Guardian has passed away. Keep your Miraculouses, Ladybug, Chat Noir, Fox, and Bee. You will be needed again."

"What about the Peacock and Butterfly?" asked Adrien (he had found a large bathrobe among the things Master Fu kept for his customers, so that he was able to detransform and stay modest).

"We will keep them inactive for now," said Wayzz. "The kwamis need rest and purification after so much abuse."

"I'm going to be out of town for a while," said Adrien. "Now that I'm... an orphan... there's a grandmother on my mother's side who will want me to stay with her."

"Watch out, Adrien," said Marinette. "The Peacock Miraculous was handed down to your mother through her family. That means your grandmother may be in on the dark family secret."

"I'll keep the Chat Noir ring. I can take care of myself," said Adrien.

"You'd better. We're still engaged. Keep your vow, or it's bad luck for life," said Marinette.

"I wonder if that curse is real. I didn't get any bad luck from all the attacks my mother made me do," said Adrien.

Wayzz said, "It's real. The bad luck had to go somewhere, and it went to your mother since she was responsible for the attacks. She could make cunning plans, but in the end it was karma that defeated her. Falling on the box as she did... that was pure bad luck."

"And it helped that she didn't know that I was there," said Max.

"So does that mean Adrien's off the hook, but I'm still on?" asked Marinette. "That had better not be true."

"No, the vows are still in force for both of you," said Wayzz.

"I wouldn't have it any other way," said Adrien.

"Me either," said Marinette.

"As Master Fu once said, you two were made for each other," said Wayzz.

They embraced and kissed.

The End


End file.
